Death Of George Floyd, End Of Human Rights In America?

For the record: I didn’t know George Floyd. I’m not black. I’m not a man. But I am a HUMAN BEING and as such I believe that everyone, under any circumstances, is entitled to breathe. I’m outraged and offended by the murder of George Floyd AND by the response of authorities.

First and foremost, we’ve all seen the same videos. A peaceful and compliant man arrested by the police. While already in custody and handcuffed, he’s thrown to the ground and knelt on. For what reason? Not to take him into custody: he didn’t resist arrest. Not to restrain him: he was already restrained. Not to control him: he was compliant. The only option left is a deliberate abuse of power by the arresting police officerS. Yes, plural. The three other officers who heard Floyd’s “I can’t breathe” pleas are as guilty as the one kneeling on his neck. Had any one of them refused to passively watch as George Floyd was murdered, the incident wouldn’t have ended Floyd’s life. Only one of the police officers was arrested and the charge he’s facing is out of sync with the reality shown in the videos.

President Trump meanwhile promises military action against protesters to end the unrest and poses for photos with a Bible in hand in front of a Church. A person who doesn’t know that the FIRST commandment is “You shall not kill”, shouldn’t pose with a Bible, leave alone in front of a Church! Apart from the fact that the presidential courage is underwhelming (A leader would have addressed the protesters, while our President hid in a bunker.), one of the roles of United States President is that of a peacemaker.

The goal of the nation’s leader in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and massive, nationwide protests that followed should be reconciliation. Had the President called for justice and demanded the arrest of all four police officers involved, in-depth investigation, criminal charges proportional to the crime they all committed while wearing police uniforms (all four should be charged with premeditated murder AND abuse of power), the unrests would have stopped. The tension would have been diffused. The justified rage would have been satisfied.

Unfortunately, our President doesn’t understand what his role entails. Worse, he repeatedly incites violence. This time, he called for military action against protesters demanding justice. (Instead of relieving tension, building bridges and making peace, the President of the United States thinks and acts like the four police officers who murdered Floyd.) These are not actions of a Commander-In-Chief but Agitator-In-Chief.

With the death of George Floyd, we didn’t lose a BLACK life. We lost a HUMAN life. His life was taken by “authorities” and instead of immediately condemning and prosecuting the murderers, our President condemned protesters who demand justice. Once again proving that morality and empathy are not his strengths. But then again, that’s the same President whose arrogance and tardiness caused over 100,000 deaths due to Covid-19 in the United States. To this President, a few more or a few less deaths make no difference.

According to reports, the famous boxer Floyd Mayweather will pay the costs of George Floyd’s funeral. That’s a beautiful and generous gesture. I personally wish however that the funeral costs were paid by a generous WHITE celebrity. I wish also for an empathetic and just President who would comfort the mourners during the funeral ceremony and apologize to the Black Community and the Nation for the crime that took place on his watch. (And yes, introduced and enacted necessary reforms!) That wouldn’t be “just” de-escalation, but JUSTICE.

We are wearing face masks to prevent the spread of pandemic. It appears that now, our President would like us to wear blinds, ear plugs and gags so we wouldn’t see, hear or react to injustice. That’s not going to happen.